Brussels, 05/09/2008 (Agence Europe) - High-ranking officials from the world's trading powers will be meeting at the World Trade Organisation in Geneva next week to examine new ideas to get the Doha Trade Round out of the deadlock it has been in since the semi-failure of the ministerial meeting in July 2008 and to find ways around problems like the controversial issue of the special safeguard mechanisms (see EUROPE No. 9732). On 2 September, Brazilian foreign minister Celso Amorim said that there were only two to three weeks left to get the negotiations up and running again, describing them as needing artificial respiration. He said it was still possible to reach agreement although momentum has weakened since July. In Rio, Amorim said that the contact since July between Lula, the President of Brazil, and George W. Bush lead one to believe that there is a strong desire to conclude an agreement, but this would not be easy. Amorim said that he had just come back from Australia and New Zealand and had felt their desire to find a solution to the main issue that had prevented a deal being struck, the question of safeguards between India and the United States. Amorim said that it would be known within two to three weeks whether there is still the possibility of reaching agreement and two to three more weeks would then be needed to decide upon the modalities (details) of an agreement. He said that once mid-October is reached, it would be impossible to reach agreement due to the presidential elections in the United States on 4 November, which would usher in a period of hibernation while priorities change, after which it would take more than two years to relaunch the negotiations. Addressing the European Parliament on 3 September 2008, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said he would be trying to get the WTO negotiations going again if other countries were ready. 'We cannot stand still but equally it is difficult to move forward. We stand ready to reengage at what ever level is useful...But there has to be genuine political commitment by others to participate in a negotiated process,' explained Peter Mandelson. Many trade round stakeholders are querying the utility of entering talks against so soon after the breakdown of negotiations in July because there are upcoming elections both the United States and India. (E.H.)